What’s up, /Film readers? My name is Ben Pearson, and I’m new here. Talking about movies is clearly a huge part of what we do on the site, so a fitting way for me to introduce myself is to present you with my 15 favorite films of all time so you can either appreciate or scoff at my choices. Let’s get started Read More »

While the President of the United States of America is one of the most powerful leaders of the free world, it’s important to remember that each and every person who has and will hold that office is a person just like the rest of us. And most people love movies. Therefore, it should come as no surprise to hear of presidents watching movies at the White House to unwind a bit, many times with other world leaders.

And now you can get a little insight into what a couple of America’s leaders were watching during their time in office as the lists of films screened by presidents Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter during their tenure have recently been publicized online. Each of them actually watched more movies than you might otherwise have thought. Read More »

Inherent Vice, the new film from Paul Thomas Anderson, isn’t just an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Thomas Pynchon. It is part of a specific tradition of movies that pry into the gaps between visions of American culture, especially as seen on the streets of Los Angeles locations. Paul Thomas Anderson has talked about one or two specifically as Inherent Vice influences, and beyond those few titles is an expansive set of movies in which characters who are all but lost as mainstream culture and power swirl around them.

These are films that line up with the spirit of Inherent Vice. Sometimes it’s just in the case of one sequence, or one shade of the movie. But put all these films together and you have a weekend worth of movies that will prepare you for the desultory, city-spanning story of Doc Sportello. No spoilers for PTA’s movie are here as we talk about the films that link up with it in this particular cinematic tradition, but when you do see Inherent Vice after seeing these you’ll immediately see how they all fit together.

It hasn’t been the best week for Charles Foster Kane, as he lost the top spot on the Sight and Sound list of All-Time Best Films. But he’ll travel to San Francisco for screenings at the great Castro Theater. As a bonus, three artists have reinterpreted his film, the all-time great Citizen Kane, in poster form. It’s gonna be a great weekend at the movies.

Spoke Art is releasing Citizen Kane posters by Sam Smith, Chuck Sperry and Adam Juresko as well as The Big Sleep by Sperry and Gone with the Wind by Smith online today and at the theater this weekend. Check them all out after the jump. Read More »